Aromatic Whites

Reading time: 5 mins Aromatic whites are intensely flavoured, un-oaked whites from aromatic grapes like Riesling, Gruner Veltliner, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Albarino, and most new world Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. These wines will typically smell like flowers or taste like a bowl of fresh fruit. Look for aromas and flavours of orange peel, ripe peaches, papaya, mango, lychee, rose petal, dried apricots, passionfruit, or dried apricots. Some will have a herbal note or white pepper spiciness or minerally accents. These wines display a lot of natural aromas and flavours from the grapes rather than from oak or wine-making practices. Flavour intensity ranges from medium to full-in-your-face intense. These wines are delicious on their own but also have the ability to pair nicely with some of the most difficult foods such as spicy Asian or Middle Eastern Dishes. BODY Light to Medium, Some Full TEXTURE Crisp, some soft FLAVOUR INTENSITY High; Complex AROMAS AND FLAVOURS Mango, Papaya, Melon, Passionfruit, Ripe Peach, Pear, Lychee, Rose Petal, Dried Apricots, Orange Peel VARIETAL EXAMPLES Muscat, Viognier, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Torrontes, Albarino, Gruner Veltliner, Vermentino, Fiano, Arneis, Muller Thurgau, Moschofilero TRY THEM WITH Salmon, Sea Bass, Pork, Asian Dishes, Middle Eastern Dishes, Cured or Smoked Meats, Popcorn, Veal Roast, Smoked Fish, Onion Tarts, Indian Curries, Baked Ham, Kale or Spinach Salad, Soft Cows Milk Cheeses, Fish with Creamy Sauces, Seafood and Shellfish, Potato Salad, Caprese Salad WHERE IN THE WORLD? Germany and Austria excel at Aromatic wines. France does to, particularly from the fairly warm, dry climates - Southern France and Alsace. Italy's Aromatics are among the most reserved of this style with Italian winemakers preferring more reserved, neutral aromas and flavours. Australia's most renown example of this style would have to be Clare Valley Rieslings. New Zealand of course excels in this style and most of our Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Rieslings fit the category perfectly. WINE REGION COUNTRY Gruner Veltliner Various AUSTRIA Muscat Alsace FRANCE Riesling, Gewurztraminer Alsace FRANCE Tokay - Pinot Gris Alsace FRANCE Riesling Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Rheingau, Pfalz, Nahe GERMANY Riesling Clare Valley & Other Regions AUSTRALIA Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier Washington, NY, California, Oregon USA Viognier, Condrieu Rhone Valley FRANCE Viognier Mendoza ARGENTINA Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier Various NEW ZEALAND Sauvignon Blanc Paarl, Constantia, Stellenbosch SOUTH AFRICA Torrontes Mendoza ARGENTINA Falanghina, Fiano Campania ITALY Moscato d'Asti Piedmont ITALY Vermentino Liguria, Tuscany, Sardinia ITALY Albarino Rias Baixas SPAIN